Thursday, August 4, 2016

Saudi Arabia projects change, albeit at a snail’s pace

Saudi Arabia is projecting miniscule steps to reverse
decades of denial of women’s sporting rights as evidence of significant changes
in the kingdom that aim to diversify its energy-dependent economy and upgrade
its autocracy. The steps include the appointment of a member of the ruling
family to oversee women’s sports and the doubling of the number of women
participating in Olympic Games from two to four.

It was not immediately clear what responsibilities and
authority Princess Reema would have. Nor was it clear to what extent Saudi
Arabia intends to lift restrictions and facilitate women’s sports. The General
Authority has long upheld policies that largely ignored women’s sports. It also
employed consultants in recent years to develop the kingdom’s first national
sports plan -- for men only. Saudi Arabia reluctantly sent for the first time
in its history two women athletes to the Olympic Games in 2012 after the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) threaten to ban the kingdom.

Princess Reema’s appointment was “timed for Rio to get
positive coverage. Nothing will change,” said Ali al-Ahmed, whose
Washington-based Institute of Gulf Affairs has long campaigned for women’s
sporting rights in Saudi Arabia.

Delaying the announcement of her appointment “isn't
encouraging, but she's all we've got to move the ball down the field,” added a
human rights activist.

Women’s sports are likely to be a litmus test of Saudi
Arabia’s ability to tackle its social, political and economic challenges head
on and move forward with Vision 2030, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s
outline of how the government hopes to diversify the economy, streamline its
bloated bureaucracy and safeguard the Al Saud’s grip on power.

Drafted by Western consultants, Vision 2030 was announced in
April. It identifies sports “as a mainstay of a healthy and balanced lifestyle
and promises “to encourage widespread and regular participation in sports and
athletic activities.”

The document makes no reference to facilities for women in a
country that has so far largely refrained from introducing physical education for
girls in elementary and secondary schools and has virtually no public sports
facilities for women. The government nonetheless is expected to legalize
hundreds of women’s gyms that operate in a legal nether land, designating them
as fitness and wellness centres rather than gymnasiums.

Vision 2030 further fails to even implicitly address demands
by the IOC and human rights groups that women be allowed to compete in all
athletic disciplines rather than only ones mentioned in the Qur’an.

A reversal of Saudi Arabia’s long-standing refusal to put
women’s sporting rights on par with those of men, a principle that was adopted
in 2012 by the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) that groups all Middle
Eastern national soccer associations with the exception of Israel, like many of
Vision 2030’s other goals would have to entail a weakening of the powerful clergy’s
ability to dictate the kingdom’s social and moral norms.

Those norms, often grounded in century-old Bedouin
traditions rather than Islam, are nonetheless cloaked by the clergy and the
government in religious terms. They involve among others severe restrictions on
women’s freedoms, including driving and sporting rights.

The clergy’s authority is rooted in a power sharing
agreement with the Al Saud family that predates the birth of the Saudi state
and grants the Al Sauds religious legitimacy to wield absolute temporal power.
Rewriting that agreement with the establishment clergy’s endorsement could
undermine its credibility and the religious legitimacy it bestows on the Al
Sauds’ rule.

Human Rights Watch, in a report
published this week timed to coincide with the opening of the Rio de Janeiro
Olympics, acknowledged that Saudi Arabia had “made some progress” in women’s
participation in sports, but cautioned that “serious barriers remain” in schools,
businesses, federations, and team sports.

“Inside Saudi Arabia, widespread discrimination still
hampers access to sports for Saudi women and girls, including in public
education. This exists against a backdrop of pervasive discrimination that
constrains women’s day-to-day lives in Saudi Arabia. Women are not allowed to
travel abroad, marry, or be released from prison without a male guardian’s
permission, and may be required to provide guardian consent to work or get
health care. They are not allowed to drive,” Human Rights Watch said.

The group noted that Saudi women were still denied access to
state sports infrastructure and barred from participating in national
tournaments and state-organized sports leagues as well as attending men’s
national team matches as spectators. Women have difficulty accessing the 150
clubs that are regulated by the General Authority, which organizes tournaments
only for men. Similarly, the Saudi National Olympic Committee has yet to
establish a women’s section.

Human Rights Watch called on the Saudi government to
demonstrate its sincerity by making physical education for girls mandatory in
all state schools; ensuring that women can train to teach physical education in
schools; establishing sports federations for women and allows them to compete
domestically and internationally; supporting women who want to compete in
international sporting competitions on an equal footing with men; and allowing
women to attend sporting events involving men’s national teams.

“Saudi authorities need to address gender discrimination in
sports, not just because it is required by international human rights law, but
because it could have lasting benefits for the health and well-being of the
next generation of Saudi girls,” said Human Rights Watch director of global
initiatives Minky Worden.

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James M DorseyWelcome to The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer by James M. Dorsey, a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Soccer in the Middle East and North Africa is played as much on as off the pitch. Stadiums are a symbol of the battle for political freedom; economic opportunity; ethnic, religious and national identity; and gender rights. Alongside the mosque, the stadium was until the Arab revolt erupted in late 2010 the only alternative public space for venting pent-up anger and frustration. It was the training ground in countries like Egypt and Tunisia where militant fans prepared for a day in which their organization and street battle experience would serve them in the showdown with autocratic rulers. Soccer has its own unique thrill – a high-stakes game of cat and mouse between militants and security forces and a struggle for a trophy grander than the FIFA World Cup: the future of a region. This blog explores the role of soccer at a time of transition from autocratic rule to a more open society. It also features James’s daily political comment on the region’s developments. Contact: incoherentblog@gmail.comView my complete profile